


Ninety Lifetimes

by PhantomLynx (PhantomMatsuoka)



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Arabian AU, Djinn!Haru, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Death, Modern AU, Multiple Lives, Prince!Rin, References to Canon, Reincarnation, Soulmates AU, because my heart can't take just angst haha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26161792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomMatsuoka/pseuds/PhantomLynx
Summary: He loved him for ninety moons, grieved his death for ninety days and nights, begged for ninety decades to have him back, and even though he was permitted to spend ninety more lives by side, the Sky Djinn just wasn't done with his punishment...He was to receive no love from his red-eyed lover in the whole duration of those ninety lifetimes. It was cruel, downright heartless, but still better than an immortal life lived without his Prince...
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin & Nanase Haruka, Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka
Comments: 23
Kudos: 79





	Ninety Lifetimes

**Author's Note:**

> I was playing Before you go- Lewis Capaldi, and that male version of When I look at you whilst writing this, I highly suggest you do so! :)
> 
> Edit: 1 moon = 1 month (they're counting only every full moons, in case that wasn't clear to anyone)

It started not like a fairy tale, where their eyes met and knew in that exact same moment that they'd be in love for as long as time was existing.

Yes, the Prince had been mesmerizing and with no speckle of a flaw, with his sharp features, fit physique, and tall stature; but the deity decided that he did not like the colour of those eyes which stared defiantly at him. It reminded him so much of fire, of the destruction that the fire Djinn had brought about his people.

That, and probably because he was invading the oasis that supposedly only the Water Djinn could see and have access to.

"What are you doing here? It should not have been possible for you to step into this place." He told the Prince, the soon successor to be Sultan in a tiny town called Sano.

The human ignored him, reaching a shaky palm to the edge of _his_ water, cupping a handful and bringing it to his lips. The water spirit was just about ready to smite him for his insolence, but he was surprised to see the Prince shed more water as drank that tiny portion from his oasis.

"So it's true..." He sobbed, with an incredulous look on his face. "You're true." Then, he directed his eyes onto the Djinn as more water spilled from his ruby orbs.

He gasps, itching to touch the clear liquid pouring from the Prince's face. "What sorcery is this? How are you able to produce water from your eyes?"

Said eyes widened, the water finally stopped and before he knew it the Prince was letting out this wonderful, melodious sound from his lips, his eyes were closed and his head was thrown back as though from amusement.

"What?" He said once he composed himself. "You mean tears?"

"Tears..." The Djinn repeated.

"They're not drinkable water anyway, and if it was, I was not crying _that_ much for it to be enough to quench the thirst of even that of a child." A frown embellished his features. "Which is why I'm here... My people, they... need water, or else many would perish if the drought persists."

The Djinn scowled, he heard that before.

"I am not to meddle with human lives. Water chooses to come and to go. You must've done something to upset God if the water refuse to bless your land." He paused. "And besides, the last who summoned the water ritual ended up being consumed by his own greed that he tried to own the water."

The Prince stood up, young yet annoyingly taller than the Djinn's chosen form. "My people have been nothing but faithful and obedient to God. My father have not an ounce of deceit in him to take any of the water for himself."

"I do not know your father, your flowery words are not enough to persuade me of his character nor the nature of his heart. I no longer perform the water ritual for any land."

"Then, I'll vouch for mine!" The Prince hollered, a hand to his chest, and eyes burning like embers. "I swear on my life that our land will not take your water for granted. I'm just asking you to help them, please. I cannot just watch my people die without trying to do anything about it."

The Djinn refused and dove deep into his oasis, hoping to deter the stubborn Prince. What surprised him above the absolute disrespect of entering his domain with no permission at all, was how the Prince was keeping up with him. He propelled harder but felt a hand to this ankle, which eventually circled around his bicep.

When they resurfaced, the Prince was soaked through and panting, but his eyes were glimmering like a rare desert gem.

"Please, I won't leave you alone until you help me." He announced.

The Water Djinn hated it but had to admit that his curiousity has piqued... What kind of land produces an entity that can summon the water through his eyes, and be able to move at par in the water with the one who supposedly controls the element?

He ended up agreeing to help the Prince, just so he could see Sano for himself. Although, contrary to what he expected, his trip brought more questions than answers about a certain Prince which caught his attention. The people of Sano were no different than those of any land, the Sultan and his wife did appear to bear no malice or ill-will within them, but that did not explain how they were able to produce an heir like the Prince that was able to find his oasis.

"Your family... Are they all able to produce water through their eyes?" He asked when the Prince was escorting him back to his oasis, once the water ritual was successfully performed. Sano's royals wanted him to stay for the celebration, but the Djinn refused, opting to spend time in his water instead.

The Prince laughed, "Everyone cries, I reckon... When things get too overwhelming sometimes." He paused when the oasis was finally in sight. "You should come visit sometimes. The people would have loved to meet their saviour."

"It is not I that went out of my way to save them, Prince. And I do not know how to act amongst mortals. I'd rather be in my water instead." 

"Then... I-I'll build you a place!" The Prince hollered, when he turned his back towards where his oasis was. "A place in the palace, hidden from prying eyes and filled with your water. A place just for you..."

He quirked up an eyebrow at that desperate promise. "And why would you go to such lengths, when you've already gotten what you wanted from me?"

The Prince's whole face turned a shade like his eyes, he stuttered a few times and normally the Djinn would have found that despicable.

"I just... I'd like to see you again. I'm not sure if I'd ever find your oasis again, so I'm offering you a place where you can meet me instead." He grinned, flashing sharp teeth that should've frightened even a Djinn.

He paused, he had no business to meet the Prince, so it should have been easy to turn him down... "And how will I know once this place that you speak of will be done?"

"Give me three moons. Then, come to the palace however medium you wish and seek for me." Announced the Prince, with the confidence of a soon to be Sultan.

"Then, I have three moons to think about whether I shall heed this call or not..." He said, then disappeared to where his oasis was.

Three moons later and the Djinn found himself in a place just as promised. Secluded, artificially made, but still housed his water quite spectacularly.

"I oversaw the whole construction process, but the task was done in utmost secrecy. Apparently I might be labeled greedy should the council discover that I'm planning to build a private bath of this massive size." The Prince chuckled, three moons since he last seen him and yet that sound still fascinates the Djinn to no end. "It's my gift to you, for saving my people, and for coming to see me again."

"And what if I hadn't shown? What would all your troubles to build this place be?" He asked, still defiant, still condescending, albeit how tempted he was to jump into the pool of glistening water already.

The Prince smirked, meeting his stern glare. "I knew you would. I kind of felt that you and I were alike in so many ways than one. The love for water is just the tip of it."

He clucked his tongue and ignored him, in favour of finally gliding into the offered man-made oasis. And a few moments later, when the Prince's presence did not leave the vicinity of the pool that was solely made for the Djinn as intended, he ended up inviting him to dip into the water as well...

***

The Djinn ended up visiting the pool almost every nightfall, sometimes he was by himself, when the Prince had late night duties to attend to, whilst in most cases he was accompanied by the young Prince, racing each other, exchanging stories of how different and how alike they can be.

It didn't take many moons for it to blossom into something that they both did not expect. When the initial respect and admiration would morph into the need to be closer, the need to touch and be touched...

The first time that their lips met happened in the private pool, as well as the time that the Prince confessed how the Djinn haven't been leaving his mind at all even in his sleep. It was something mutual and inevitable that was beyond even the higher entity between the two of them. The Djinn discovered what it meant to offer up your entire being to someone else, whilst the Prince learned that there can be an aspect of his life that he did not want to share with his family nor his people, for he wanted all of what the Djinn has given, all to himself.

Their passion and love transcended for ninety moons, from that very first night that they kissed. The Djinn was there for his Prince when his father died from an incurable illness, when his Prince was no longer just the heir, but the Sultan to Sano himself. He watched that once dying land be filled with prosperity from having a constant supply of water, enough to cultivate crops that weren't grown in other places, supply water to neighbouring lands and build connections that made Sano a powerful, generous, yet thoughtful domain.

His Prince did not change, not even one bit. He did not marry, despite what his advisors begged him to, in order to expand their land. His heart remained loyal to the Djinn, despite it being in secret. His kisses and touches were just as ardent as that first night, and just as he swore, he never took the water for granted, despite how abundant the Djinn had blessed their lands with it.

They both did not consider that his Prince may have had the purest heart, worth more than its weight in gold, but not every mortal was like him.

One evening, when the moon was blood red just like his lover's eyes, their private sanctuary, the place that witnessed their love, was discovered in ruins by the Djinn. It only went downhill from there, when he stepped out to red splattered walls of the once pristine royal hallways. With all the anxiousness that he felt for the first time in his entire long life, he searched for his Prince amidst the ruins of blood, destruction, and fire. He found his body slumped over his sister, with drying blood around them as arrows pierced his back. He was unmoving, unresponsive as the Djinn shouted for him, begging him to be alright.

"Who are you?" Came a voice that cut through his howling sobs. "Our leader said that they cleared everyone in the palace already."

The Djinn spotted the brusque lad, in his hands were either jewels or jugs of water, blood smeared across his clothing and even some patches of his face and arms as well. It was the first time the Djinn felt wrath overtake him. Blinded by rage and sorrow, his vision turned red, and it was a night that erased the once flourishing land of Sano on the map...

It became a legend, with no man to tell the tale, only speculations were passed, so much so that the mystery of what happened to Sano created the fearful and violent image of the water Djinn. For how can it not? When every corpse found in that place appeared to be soaked in water, thieves and survivors alike looked as if they died from drowning, but the peculiar thing about it was how all the water in Sano seemed to have vanished overnight. All the wells were drained, the irrigation systems for their crops and animals, every single jug of water, and container alike, left with no drop of water at all. Sano was left barren with nothing but the scorching dry sand. All the crops wilted, and all the animals and people died like flies. Inhabitable to any living soul at all.

Rumours about how the Sultan had angered the water Djinn circulated, or how they were killed because they tried to keep all the water for themselves. Nobody knew of how the land was attacked by selfish thieves, hoping to drain Sano of their riches and gain access to the secret of being blessed by water. When the Sultan refused to tell them about the ritual or about the Djinn, they killed him instantly, along with everyone of the royals who got in their way.

It was ninety days and ninety nights later, when the water Djinn received his summon. The Sky Djinn wasn't very pleased about how massive the impact of Sano's loss had been. People were starting to rebel against God, whilst some lived in fear that their land would be next to be wiped out. When asked of his reason, he did not hesitate to claim that it was out of anger and the need to seek vengeance for what he lost. He did not care of what his punishment would be. A life without his Prince would be just as barren as Sano anyway...

"Do you realize that what you've done is the highest form of disobedience to our number one and most important rule?!" The sky Djinn's voice boomed. Sometimes he tends to forget that this lad wasn't God himself. Just his second in command.

 _Never meddle with mortal lives._ It was the most important rule, and he had killed an entire land just because of the grief that he felt at the loss of his lover.

"Yes." He answered, guilty yet not entirely apologetic.

"Sano had been the only source of water for a handful of lands, do you realize how many more lives you've indirectly affected by what you did?!"

"Yes..."

"And for what? For a mere mortal prince? A nightly tryst to satisfy your basest of needs?"

He felt himself growl when that statement was uttered. "What we had was more than that! My Prince... he was more than a mere mortal like what you speak off!"

The sky Djinn growled. "Are you insinuating that you've fallen for him? So much that you've put his life above your duty as a Djinn??"

"Yes!" He ardently hollered. "So I care not for what punishment you give me, I do not wish to stay in the mortal realm anyway, now that my Prince is gone."

A sadistic smirk was donned by the sky Djinn, as though he knew a secret that could wipe all the water Djinn's arrogance in a snap. "You do realize, that by seducing a Djinn, and by said Djinn to cause this much destruction, your Prince, in a way is also responsible for the mess you made. Therefore, he should be punished as well."

"I'd like to see you try and punish the dead then." He snarled, his mortal facade, slipping.

"Oh I can't... but God might. Your little lover was to be bound for reincarnation for as long as time existed. But after the chaos you've caused, I'm afraid he wouldn't be granted that luxury anymore."

A bitter taste threatened to rise up his throat. His chest ached as the realization slowly settled into his shattered heart. "You mean... I—"

"Yes," The sky Djinn's voice boomed. "You caused him his eternal life. He could've been in another plane by now, intended to inherit all the riches and love that he deserves because of the noble life that he lived. But because of you, his soul needs to be punished as well."

It was the first time that he felt his eyes water, a stinging sensation that blurred his vision as his body was rocked by sobs. "I— I didn't know! I'm... I'll do w-whatever. Please. You can punish me... Just. Please, leave my Prince be. B-bring him back to me."

The sky Djinn felt pity and rage upon the display. A deity, reduced to a sobbing mess just because of a mere mortal soul. The water Djinn was wailing a mantra of apologies and pleas for the mortal Prince, and despite it not being his place to decide, he still found himself uttering a promise.

"You have to earn this favour... Bless the lands with your water despite of the nature of their hearts. Do so until you've terraformed this plane. Until massive plants sprout to bear food for them to eat. Begone lest I change my mind about this."

Filled with a newfound resolve, the water Djinn journeyed, his grieving was endless and just as painful as that night he found the Prince's cold body, but with the small hope from the sky Djinn's words, he let the water flow, let it cause war and peace depending on how the mortals took advantage of it.

It took him ninety decades to terraform the mortal plane. A place where sand used to be the only sight to see for miles. Plants of different variety sprouted, terrains of different shapes and sizes. Seasons were formed and civilizations emerged.

He came back to the sky Djinn's temple, and it's almost as if not a day passed since he was granted the chance to redeem his Prince.

"I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. I've come to claim my reward." He announced, which seemed to irk the sky Djinn even more.

"You deserve no reward, fool. What you did was what you should've done eons ago. If you weren't so selfish in the first place."

"I care not what you think of me. I just... want my Prince back."

The sky Djinn thought that the punishment would eventually make the fool forget of that silly little mortal lover of his. But alas, stupidity apparently knows no end.

"Alright. As per agreed, your little pet will have his chance at being reincarnated once more. Ninety more lifetimes in the human plane..."

The water Djinn felt joy that he hadn't felt since he was with his Prince. He let his knees buckle to the floor at the vision of being with his Prince once more. Ninety times more...

"Thank you. I'm... grateful for this chance at seeing him again."

There was a malicious smile at the sky Djinn's face once more. Only a fool would think that that's all to it. "Yes yes, you may slander him with your undying love and devotion at every lifetime. But on two conditions." He held up two fingers for emphasis. "One, is for you to give up your immortality. You'll live every life by his side, or he'll find your way to you eventually, but the you as a mortal, not as a water spirit."

The water Djinn nodded eagerly. Immortality would be a curse anyway, once his Prince's ninety lifetimes were up.

"Second, is that he will never, ever, return your love in any sort of romantic way. He may love you as a brother, as his friend, his ally, but never as the lover you once were to him." The water Djinn felt himself freeze at that... That can't be serious, right?

"Although, you are free to confess your love, or tell him the story of how you two were in his first life. But I guarantee you, that he'll never return your feelings, no matter how much you try."

All hopes and whatever sliver of joy he felt came crashing down like a shattered glass. He was expecting ninety more chances to love and be loved by his Prince... but how can that be possible if the latter wouldn't ever feel the love that he once offered the Djinn.

"If this too much for you, you can always decline." The sky Djinn spoke again after moments of silence. "You can stay as you are. Let the mortal live his lives in peace and jus—"

"No." The water Djinn growled. "I... agree with the terms." If there was such as a thing as a more cruel and more painful punishment than never receiving love from his Prince, then it was a long immortal life without his Prince at all...

The sky Djinn rose a brow, not expecting his terms to be agreed on still, despite how painful it must've been to imagine it. The water fool must've been desperate.

"Very well... I did all that could to save you from this mortal foolishness of yours, but since you wanted this. You'll be reincarnated along with your Prince in three nights..."

And thus, three nights later, he was born as _Haruka..._

***

The surname varies, as well as his appearance and nationality. Each of different eras as well... but what remained constant was his eyes. Always blue like the water, and always drawn and yearning for those vibrant reds.

His lover was reincarnated as _Rin_. Sometimes it's his real name, but other times it's just a nickname that he found himself adapting since his wee years.

The Sky Djinn hadn't lied when he told him that their paths were destined to cross, no matter what and at which point of their lives. In some lifetimes, he and Rin were basically friends since they were in diapers. Whilst in some, he meets him later in life when he's this old lad, raising his grandchildren in a dilapidated house by the ocean.

It had been hard at first, watching the one you love the most offer their heart to someone else, when he once swore that it'll always be yours. He spent each night sobbing himself to sleep as a violent storm poured, but eventually he grew to learn how to be happy for his prince. Even at the cause of his own broken heart...

Rin had looked different in every life, except how he retained his gorgeous eyes and that heart of gold. He was so full of love that it was hard not to fall deeper and deeper for him at each and every lifetime they share, no matter how he knew that the lad will never return his undying love.

In most lives, he ends up happily settling down with his lover of choice. Building either a simple life or a grandiose empire during some of his reincarnations. Haruka had always been his closest friend. The one closest to heart, he once said.

"It's like a feeling, y'know?" His sixteen year-old self told Haruka during that one sweltering California afteroon. "Like we were always meant to meet, Haru." Said Rin with a sincere smile. It was a nickname that he always end up calling him, no matter how old they meet.

"Maybe we are, Rin." Haruka replied and fought the urge to tuck a stray of blonde hair at the back of his ear. He grinned at him again and pulled him into a warm hug, always so clingy and touchy.

Haruka would've been happy with that. Just watching the love of his life live with utmost freedom and elation. He would've been content with being Rin's rock or his sword or whatever else he needed in order to be happy... 

But not all lifetimes were the perfect ray of sunshine, like his prince... Some of them felt like a living nightmare forcefully being shoved down his throat.

Lifetime number 35 had been hell for both of them, when Rin fell in love with an abusive partner who manipulated him and eventually beat him to death. Haru had spent almost a decade begging him to leave the lad, but Rin had been too blinded by love to care. 

In that lifetime, he realized how cruel this punishment is for both Rin and himself. His lover could've been living preciously like the gem he was, spoilt till the tips of his toes by Haruka's insurmountable love and devotion... and yet, there he was... spending some lifetime as a hollowed out version of his beautiful prince, wrecking his life for the wrong type of love that he chose to cling to.

There were lifetimes as well where Haruka wanted to be selfish. Just to escape the pain of watching Rin fall in love with somebody else, and to have his heart be broken in return...

Haruka did his best to avoid him, even after officially meeting Rin in that lifetime. But it was harder said than done, when Rin actively seeks him most of the time, or that one lifetime where he's this massively popular actor that had his face in every device known to mankind.

Like a moth to a flame, it always ends with Haruka's wings being burned, just because it's physically impossible for him not to be by his lover's side.

There came a point when the Water Djinn himself was having trouble recalling what his precious prince originally looked like. He knew that his soul and his heart remained unchanged, affected only by the family and life that he had in each particular lifetime, but his initial appearance seemed to have been clouded over by Rin's gorgeous face in every lifetime that Haruka fell for him. It was alright though, for Haruka loved him regardless of how many more sizes and forms he will take.

Around their sixty-eighth life, Rin had told him the news that made his tanned skin appear almost vibrantly glowing.

"I asked her to marry me, Haru." He said, grinning. "And she said yes! After this war, I'm going to be a married man."

The Djinn gave him a proud smile. That type of announcement wasn't new to Haruka anymore, but what caught him off guard was what Rin told him next.

"Call me hopeless, but I knew she was the one when I first saw her, Haru." Rin started, donning that beautiful, love-filled look that made his eyes more vibrant. A look that was once directed solely at the Djinn. "It's like I never felt that kind of love before in my entire life, and I can't see myself spending my eternity with anyone else but her. She's just that much special."

_Eternity..._

Perhaps Rin wasn't just aware of how long an eternity was...

Eternity, was how long Haruka had been loving him... Eternity, was how long they promised to be with each other, once upon a time... It was how long Haruka felt like he was stuck in that never ending nightmare where Rin was so close yet so bloody far from where Haruka wants him to be.

Eternity was each second Haruka had to endure not telling Rin how much he loved him. That he would continue to wait an eternity, foolishly hoping that Rin might see him as something more than his best friend in one of his lifetimes.

It was so selfish to feel a rush of joy when Rin had perished in the battlefield, not a fortnight later from that night. His heart was bleeding when they found his mangled body covered in dirt, but the broken part of him was quite glad that Rin hadn't got to spend his _eternity_ in somebody else's arms...

It was the first lifetime that Haruka had let the waves swallow him whole. Hoping to ease all the pain and guilt that consumed his whole being.

Around the early years of their eighty-first life, Rin asked him a question that made Haruka choke on his breakfast.

"W-hat?" He wheezed whilst his friend rubbed his back soothingly, too close for any platonic relationship, but never for the Djinn who had been pining for centuries.

"I said..." Rin was clearly blushing now. "Do you find me attractive?"

Haruka pursued his lips. _Attractive_ simply wouldn't cut how he finds him. Rin was like an oasis in a drying desert... Even then, when he's just out of bed, with his hair sticking in all directions, and there were bed creases on his face.

"Of course, Rin." He replied, making his friend's eyes widen.

"Really?"

Haruka nodded, excited to see where that conversation would head to.

Rin rubbed at his nape whilst casting his eyes down. "Then would you... want to have s-sex with me?"

It felt like he inhaled all the oxygen readily available at that moment. Rin was starting to worry that Haruka was having an asthma attack, but the Djinn was pulling off him in a matter moments.

"W-what... You— do you meant it... Rin?" He finally managed to stutter out.

Rin's worried expression turned determined in an instant. "Yes."

"Why?" Haruka asked.

The brunette shrugged like he was just dismissing a topic. "I'm just curious... Haven't done it, or ever been with a guy, but... I think there's some lad that I'm attracted to." The blush on his face appeared again.

"Why me?" He heard his voice break from all his repressed feelings for Rin, summoning every ounce of control in his body in order to refrain from jumping the ethereal being currently offering himself to him.

"You're the only one I trust to do this with, Haru. I would probably regret doing it with some other dude that I don't even know... but you... I know our friendship can withstand it, Haru." Rin told him with those tantalizing, honest eyes.

Haruka swallowed, finally allowing his eyes to wander down Rin's current physique. Of course he always had been temptation incarnate... Ever since that first night they shared in their life as lovers, he had been the sole representation of the Djinn's every fantasy... To have him again, after so many centuries of unrequited love... It simply was an offer that no man, not even a god, could ever resist....

Two nights from that point, Haruka made love to Rin in what felt like the longest, most satisfying night of his immortal life. The way Rin had clung to him, a moaning mess whilst screaming his name, was how Haruka imagine heaven would feel like to those who spent an eternity in hell...

The Djinn worshiped his body like he was the deity between them two, and even though the euphoria was permeating every cell in his being, he refused to close his eyes... Memorizing how his lover looked at the throes of undiscovered pleasure that Haruka himself brought upon him. Then, he almost cried when Rin looked at him all blissed out, like Haru had given him the key to unparalleled pleasure. 

They never spoke of it again. They graduated college and Rin ended up moving halfway across the globe with that male lover of his, never to be seen again. Haruka died of old age, grateful for the memory of that wonderful night that he got to share with his prince.

When the ninetieth lifetime rolled in, it was natural that Haruka grew into this anxious, closed off boy who was determined to not let Rin into his life. It was the last after all, and he was sure that no matter what he did to change the outcome just for this last life, Rin will either end up with someone else, or dying unhappy, anyway.

He devoted himself to what his family wanted him to be, a doctor, to follow his father, and his father and father's father's footsteps. He ended up settling in a tiny provincial town despite growing up in the city. A town with only two or three attending physicians catering to the people.

Sasabe Goro had been the head of the hospital that he applied to, a man with the passion to help, more than whatever riches his profession can bring. He ended up guiding Haruka as he settled down into his chosen life, hopefully away from the source of all of heartaches.

Goro took the role of being almost every patient's attending physician, with only the others as his assistants. That was until the fatigue got to him, ordered by another Doctor to share his workload, and to avoid over-working himself.

"I'll assign you to the two least headache-inducing bunch in this place, Haruka. Your reward for being the least headache-inducing staff I've ever come across." He joked, making Haruka smile a wee bit.

The first patient was a little girl, recovering from a broken arm due to a nasty fall. As endorsed, she was sweet, obedient, and followed everything Haruka told her to do. The next one was only a few months older than himself, and his heart stopped upon seeing the name, and the picture of a smiling lad attached beside him.

29 years and 7 months old. Diagnosed a year and half ago. Had no living relatives except for a grandmother who was senile and was away in a elderly home two towns away. What shocked him to the core weren't any of those, not the bright red orbs peeking behind those grinning eyes.

 _Acute myeloid leukemia..._ His profile indicated.

He stood by the door for what felt like an eternity, fighting back tears and how his whole body was trembling violently. At least he hoped that for his last life, his Prince had been the son of some rich European businessman, playing around with girls, and buying cars like it was candy from a store... Of course, it had been the sky Djinn's cruel trick to save this life for the last...

When he finally opened the door he felt his knees wobble, equal parts euphoria from seeing the love of his life, and pain upon seeing the state of his beloved Prince.

He had no hair to distinguish him from the other Rins this time... Pale, almost greyish in color, and yet, thin as a stick he was, he still was the most beautiful creature that Haruka ever saw in his long life. He smiled at him, all radiant, as though his life wasn't being threatened by a terminal illness.

"Are you going to be my new doctor?" He asked, red eyes focusing on the tag by his coat. "Doctor Haru?"

Haruka's heart skipped a beat, and he knew, from that day on, it would be impossible to not be by Rin's side any longer. That he'd rather break his own heart again, than to be parted from his angel for even just a second.

"Yeah. How are you feeling, Rin?" He asked, watching those ruby gems widen.

"How did you know my nickname?"

"Err, Goro-san told me." 

"Oh. I guess you could call me that, then. Doctor Haru." He purred, offering a bony hand in what appears to be an offer for a hand shake.

Haruka took it, lingered a bit longer just to quell the urge to encase him in his arms and never let him go....

Rin had wanted to be a musician, Haruka found out about this secret dream of his when he disappeared one morning, sending the doctor into a panicked chase as he scoured the entire place. He found him by the children's ward. A guitar in hand as the tiny, snotty children gathered around him whilst he's singing a song.

He sang so beautifully that Haruka forgot that he was even mad and worried in the first place. And as much as he wanted to drag Rin back to his room and demand that he rest, he doesn't have the heart to tear him away from those adoring stares and bewildered murmurs.

"I'm sorry if I snuck out and made you worry." He told him, when Haruka was escorting him back to his room. "It's just that... the children, they look at me like I'm no different... like I'm not dying... and I guess I need that sometimes." He whispered. Making Haruka halt his steps. It was the first time Rin appeared vulnerable, the first time he addressed his... illness.

"Next time... tell me, so I can help you get there." He promised, and loved the way those eyes shimmered like he promised him the world.

After a month, he found himself staying late just to accompany Rin in his room. Sometimes they converse, whilst some others they just lay in silence as Rin strums his guitar whilst Haruka listened carefully.

"Aren't you heading home yet? It's getting late." He said.

Haruka shook his head. "No one's waiting for me... Why? Do you want me gone? I'll let you rest if you nee—"

"No! I didn't mean that." Rin protested. "Jeez, Haru. I was just asking. I... don't mind having you here." His pale cheeks coloured a wee bit. "I kind of prefer having you here."

It took all of Haruka's willpower not to kiss him right then and there. "Then, I'll stay."

Rin grinned at him and told him stories about his sister again, how she loved his songs when they were children, how some kids from the ward reminded him of her.

"The kids love your songs as well."

Rin huffed. "They do, but most of the time they keep on demanding for some fairy tale stories. I guess kids prefer stories still, but there's only so much I'm aware of." He pursued his lips as though in deep thought, then he turned to Haruka.

"How about you? Do you know some stories? Just so I can make songs out of them for the kids. Maybe they'll like those better!" He brighten up, making Haruka wonder if he weren't really one of those children. He tried to think of stories to tell, but he wasn't really fond of those made up stories when he was growing up. The only story remotely resembling a fairy tale for him was...

"I know a long one... About a kind hearted Prince and an arrogant water Djinn." When he was sure that Rin's attention was piqued, he recalled the story that he wished his Prince remembered...

In a span of months, he told Rin every single one of the lives that they lived together. He retold them to the kids via a song that he composes every night, he did it faithfully, committing the story to heart and adding his own tune to fit the vibe. Some lives were stitched with a different ending, if the original one was too tragic for children consumption, and oh how he wished those endings were true.

"When is it gonna end? I want them to finally be happy together." One child ask, raising an arm as though in class.

Rin chuckled and weakly ruffled his hair. "Who knows? Maybe in their last life? The story's not over yet so maybe we'll get to see the happy ending at the very last moment."

Haru's heart ached. He long since given up on that happy ending, but being with Rin really does make it difficult to kill any sprouting hope sometimes...

"Why can't the Prince remember the water Djinn? Didn't they love each other so much?" A little girl asked, one of the children which Rin said reminded him of his sister. The former Prince looked taken aback with that. His eyes met Haruka like he was asking for help as to how he should answer them.

"Maybe it's best that the Prince doesn't remember... He'd be very hurt if he knew how much the Djinn had suffered, and knowing him. The Djinn would rather be the only one hurting than to cause pain to his Prince once more." He replied without unlocking his eyes on Rin, the children around them whining because of that gloomy response.

"Or, the Prince really wants to remember..." Rin countered, catching the children's attention once more. "Maybe he really wants to... It's just that... he didn't know there was something he forgot... rather, someone precious that he forgot about."

Rin met his eyes after that speech, with something that felt like a punch to his gut.

Haru excused himself that afternoon, he didn't see Rin until two days later, when the head nurse told him that he'd be needing another blood transfusion soon. That he's been coughing up blood and refused to take his medicine for the past two days.

It was nighttime when he came and visited, Rin seemed paler, if that was even possible, his was tuning his guitar but it was harder with trembling fingers. One string snapped and he cursed under his breath, ignoring Haruka's presence despite his form being in view.

"Why weren't you taking up your medicines?" He asked coolly, answered by a snarl and ardently upset eyes.

"Why were you avoiding me? I tried to come see you at your office but they wouldn't let me." His voice broke and along with it was Haruka's heart. "I... I was s-so scared. I thought you were... mad at me or something. I-I thought you didn't want to be my friend anymore." He cried, whilst wiping away the tears that leaked from his eyes.

Haruka didn't want to cry, he didn't want to make Rin think that it was out of pity. When in reality it was from how much he loves him that it's basically too painful to both be with and without him. He held back tears and wiped Rin's away, those eyes that he never wanted to see hurt or upset.

"I'm sorry. I'll stay by your side from now on. I won't leave..." He swore, cradling that precious face between his hands.

Rin huffed but eventually smirked at him. "You need to make it up to me..."

He nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

"Tell me the ending," Rin said. "What their ninetieth life was like, and how it ended."

Haruka frowned. He could lie, but somehow he knew that Rin would figure it out eventually. "It's not... done yet. Their last life. There's no ending yet."

Rin shoved his hands and picked up his guitar once again. "Fine, whatever. I knew you were making up stories anyway. What a conveniently long story to keep the children occupied, indeed." He smirked condescendingly.

"Oi, all of that is tr—"

"Pfft, whatever Haru. I don't need your ending. Here's the ending that I have in mind." He smiled at him and started playing his guitar, it sounded perfect despite the missing string, and the lyrics depicts a story that would've shamed any fairy tale ending ever told. It was cliche, the lovers meeting at a young age, instantly becoming enamoured with each other, they'd fought and hurt each other in the process, but eventually they found their way back into the other's arms when they realized that they make each other better. That they were halves of one heart, meant to be kept side by side in the first place.

Haruka wished he had the power to make it true, that he had more than his memories with him. That his hope and his unfaltering love was enough to mend everything between them just like the lovers in Rin's song.

When Rin finished his song he told Haruka that he was feeling tired, the doctor nodded and tucked him in, fully intending to leave and let him rest, until a weak tug to his arm held him back.

"Will you stay with me tonight, Haru? I don't feel alone when I'm with you..." His eyes were droppy yet still enough to convince Haruka to stay, he nodded, wedged himself at the side of that tiny hospital bed and let Rin rest against his chest. He pressed him close to his person, wishing that Rin understood the reason why his heart was beating erratically that night.

The next morning, when he shook him awake and he remained unmoving, donning that peaceful look on his face, Haruka's heart broke just like it did on their first life... but this time there was peace, there was that slight joy that he was able to be by Rin's side during his final moments, that in the end, it was his arms he chose to rest during that last and final time that they'll be together, not married, nor committed to somebody else.

He pressed his lips onto those cold, chapped up lips. Whispered how much he loved him, and that no amount of lives was enough to quell that love. He told him how much he meant to him, that given the chances, he'll still choose to be with him despite every heartache that he'd gone through. Despite how painful it is every time he loses him...

Somewhere at the back of his mind he prayed to God that Rin at least heard him, maybe not his physical senses, but at the very least with his soul... for it was the first and the very last time he'll ever tell him how he truly felt...

***

He had always been fond of the water...

His parents had been jokingly telling him that he was probably a water god's son mistakenly interchanged with their real child, since he learned how to swim even before he spoke a word, or how he had the eyes as blue as the water when it's certainly not a common Japanese trait to begin with.

Another aspect would probably because of how he viewed the water as something animate...

The water felt alive to him. It gives way when he dives, and it appears like it's calling onto him every time he stares at it long enough. For a long time, it's always been him and the water whenever he swims. It almost felt like it's a sanctuary built solely for him, like he was the only person in it whenever he swims, no matter how many annoying kids swam with him thanks to Makoto's urging to join the swim club.

Being surrounded by water became his escape from the annoyingly tedious reality that he lives in. With him and nothing but how the water was making him feel.

That was until another presence breached his solitude like a spear to the chest...

He swam harder, trying to shake off that overwhelming aura, but to no avail. Whenever he surged forward, so would the other presence. Haru knew that he was swimming faster than his usual pace, a pace almost disrespectful to the water, but he just can't help but to follow the chase, being mindful of his ankle like he was somehow expecting it to be pulled.

When they resurfaced, red filled his vision, too vivid, too vibrant that it made him want to run just to quell that unfamiliar tug at his chest. Red eyes were locked to his blue, red hair peeking from his yellow swim cap, and those red lips panting with exhaustion.

"Wow, you're so fast! It almost felt like you weren't real." When that voice spoke, shivers ran down his spine. Without waiting for Makoto to offer him a hand, Haru got out of the pool, ignoring any further attempts from the red kid.

He learned his name by accident. Matsuoka Rin. A kid from Sano, used to win most of the junior freestyle events until Haruka started joining competitions. He hoped that the first time was a fluke, that Matsuoka's presence would gradually fade into the background, swallowed by the water's peacefulness and leaving Haruka to his own once more.

But time and time again, he was proved wrong... If anything, Matsuoka's presence stood out even more. Every race was like a trapped bubble with just the two of them competing, the other baiting him and Haruka retaliating like he just couldn't help it... His presence started not being too unwelcome, a little bit familiar that it sends his heart racing beyond the exertion that their race brought about.

Haruka tried not to think about it. Ignored recalling the way Matsuoka swam during practice, or how he sometimes dream of someone older but with the same annoying smile... but like all annoying things in life so far, Matsuoka Rin didn't seem to share the idea of ignoring each other just until all the annoying feelings fade.

The day he stood in front of Haruka's class, introducing himself with a wide grin on his face, Haru knew, too confidently so, that he transferred just for him... and that small jolt of joy confused him to no end...

He hated it, or so he told himself...

The fervent look on those red eyes, that endearing smile solely directed at him, and how Haruka can't avert his eyes from him too...

Matsuoka was urged to pick a seat, and naturally he picked the one right beside Haruka, like he was being directed by someone more powerful than all of them.

"Hey... Nanase, right?" He mumbled once their teacher was distracted enough to care.

Haruka frowned, but that did not dampen that wide grin on his face.

"I'm Matsuoka Rin." He told him, in that so, so familiar voice.

"I know..." Haruka said, tried to cast away his eyes from him but he can't...

Rin gasped, shooting up like an excited ball of energy. "You remember me from the race?!"

_How can I ever forget you..._

His mind supplied, in a voice far deeper than his own, but all too familiar for some reason. Confused, he glared at Matsuoka like it was his fault.

"No, you idiot. You just introduced yourself in class." He snapped yet felt slightly guilty when Rin's smile momentarily faltered.

"Oh," He pouted, but shook his red locks and was back to grinning at him again.

"Doesn't matter! I'll just make sure you never forget about me again, Nanase!" Rin said, offering a small hand with a palm equally as coloured as his cheeks.

This boy had so much red that it felt like Haruka was staring directly at the sun. Still, he found himself reaching for that palm, almost as if anticipating how warm it was going to be.

When their palms touched he was left gasping. Rin's red eyes widened as well, almost in sync with his. 

It felt like something clicking into place. Like a puzzle finally completed, a memory of something long forgotten, a punishment coming to an end...

_Like half a heart, finally being made whole again..._

**Author's Note:**

> I know I should be writing OBFAD but I swear I'll get back to it after this one haha. I just can't shake this concept when it randomly came to me. I hope you enjoyed it and that you'd tell me how you felt about this ficlet as this is definitely one of my favourite pieces written so far. Lots of love on your way! ♡
> 
> P.S. if it wasn't obvious, the very last life was how they originally looked in their first one...


End file.
